1. M. TECH. DISSERTATION ON “SIMULATION OF SINGLE PHASE AND TWO PHASE FLOW USING OPENFOAM”
I
ABSTRACT
In recent years OpenFOAM solvers have attracted great attention of the academia and
industrial practitioners. Principal potentialities of this software are full access to the code,
easy solver generation, modification and a huge and open users community among others.
The isothermal flow patterns in lid-driven cavity for three different geometric configurations
of the cavity are obtained using OpenFOAM solvers. These configurations include the square
cavity, skewed cavity and trapezoidal cavity. The steady flow patterns obtained by
OpenFOAM for different Reynolds numbers (Re) ranging from 100 to 3200 are compared
with the benchmark published results of Ghia et al. [1]. The isothermal flow in all the three
cavities are discussed in detail for varying Reynolds numbers. Analysis is carried out for
natural convection in an enclosed square cavity. In this case also implicit scheme is used to
solve the discretized equations for stream function, vorticity and temperature. Transient
results at different times and at different Rayleigh numbers Ra = 103
, 104
, 105
and at Pr = 1 is
plotted and compared with the available results. Streamline pattern, vorticity contours and
isotherms at different Rayleigh number Ra = 103
, 104
, 105
and Prandtl number Pr = 0.1 and 1
are analyzed. The numerical simulations for mixed convection scenario are performed for
two-dimensional laminar flow (100 ≤ Re ≤ 1000) and effects of small to moderate Prandtl
numbers (0.01 ≤ Pr ≤ 7.1) on the flow and the heat transfer in the cavity are investigated for
different values of Richardson number. The temperature and the flow fields in the cavity are
calculated and presented to illustrate the strong influence of Prandtl number. The numerical
simulations for mixed convection scenario are performed for horizontal two-sided lid-driven
differentially heated square cavity and effects of Prandtl number on the flow structure and
heat transfer in the cavity are studied for laminar range of Re and Pr.
Two-phase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations, using openly available
CFD package OpenFOAM, are employed to calculate the air-water flow in horizontal and
sinusoidal pipe. A 3-dimensional CFD model using volume of fluid (VOF) method is
presented for predicting the development of two phase distribution, velocity profiles and
pressure distribution through the pipe. The gas superficial Reynolds number (ReSG) and liquid
superficial Reynolds number (ReSL) is varied from 832 to 29342, 705 to 10000 respectively.
The numerical results are validated against experimental data from the literature [4]. A
comparison of experimental and numerically computed flow pattern of stratified, slug, plug,
stratified-wavy and annular are found to be in good agreement. Numerical simulations are
extended for flow through three-dimensional sinusoidal pipe to visualize the different flow

2. M. TECH. DISSERTATION ON “SIMULATION OF SINGLE PHASE AND TWO PHASE FLOW USING OPENFOAM”
II
patterns. Finally an application in tidal energy for two phase flow through 2-dimensional
channel is considered to investigate the influence of the change in the velocity of the phases
on the motion of fluid in terms of the liquid column height and axial length of the liquid
phase. Numerical simulations are carried out using CFD tool - OpenFOAM to capture the
periodic motion of the phases for two-phase flow in two-dimensional channel.

3. M. TECH. DISSERTATION ON “SIMULATION OF SINGLE PHASE AND TWO PHASE FLOW USING OPENFOAM”
III
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT I
TABLE OF CONTENTS III
LIST OF FIGURES V
LIST OF TABLES X
NOMENCLATURE XI
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Objective and Motivation 1
1.2 OpenFOAM CFD Tool Kit 2
1.3 Procedure for Solution in OpenFOAM 3
1.3.1 Pre-Processing 3
1.3.2 Processing 13
1.3.3 Post-Processing 13
1.4 Thesis Organization 13
CHAPTER 2
SOLUTION OF ISOTHERMAL AND NON-ISOTHERMAL SINGLE
PHASE FLOW IN A CAVITY USING OPENFOAM
15
2.1 Introduction 15
2.2 Isothermal Cavity 15
2.2.1 Introduction 15
2.2.2 Literature Survey 15
2.2.3 Validation 16
2.2.4 Results and Discussion 18
2.2.4.1 Square Cavity 18
2.2.4.2 Skewed Cavity 22
2.2.4.3 Trapezoidal Cavity 27
2.3 Non- Isothermal Cavity 30
2.3.1 Simulation of Natural Convection Heated in Square Cavity 31
2.3.1.1 Introduction 31
2.3.1.2 Literature Survey 32
2.3.1.3 Validation 34
2.3.1.4 Results and Discussion 36
2.3.2 Simulation of Mixed Convection in Heated Square Cavity 41
2.3.2.1 Introduction 41
2.3.2.2 Literature Survey 42
2.3.2.3 Validation 43
2.3.2.4 Results and Discussion 45

4. M. TECH. DISSERTATION ON “SIMULATION OF SINGLE PHASE AND TWO PHASE FLOW USING OPENFOAM”
IV
2.3.3 Simulation of Forced Convection in Heated Square Cavity 54
2.3.3.1 Introduction 54
2.3.3.2 Literature Survey 55
2.3.3.3 Results and Discussion 56
2.4 Closure 62
CHAPTER 3 SIMULATION OF TWO PHASE FLOW USING OPENFOAM 63
3.1 Introduction 63
3.2 Literature Survey 65
3.3 Model Development 68
3.3.1 VOF Method 68
3.3.2 Governing Equations 69
3.4 Computational Model and Numerical Method 70
3.4.1 Grid Independence Test 73
3.5 Validation of Two Phase Flow Patterns 73
3.6 Results and Discussion 76
3.6.1 Development of Stratified Flow 76
3.6.2 Development of Slug Flow 79
3.6.3 Development of Plug Flow 84
3.6.4 Development of Annular Flow 88
3.7 Two Phase Flow Phenomena in Fixed Sinusoidal Pipe 90
3.7.1 Problem Description and Boundary Conditions 90
3.7.2 Results and Discussion 91
3.8 Closure 94
CHAPTER 4 WAVE ENERGY CONVERTER 95
4.1 Introduction 95
4.2 Techniques for the Extraction of Wave Energy 95
4.2.1 Limpet 95
4.2.2 Pelamis 96
4.2.3 Wave Dragon 97
4.2.4 Wave Power Project in Lysekil 98
4.2.5 Vigor Wave Energy Converter 98
4.3
Simulation of Two Phase Flow for Periodic Motion of the
Phases in Two-Dimensional Channel
100
4.3.1 Problem Discretization and Boundary Conditions 100
4.3.2 Results and Discussion 100
4.4 Closure 111
CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY AND SCOPE FOR FUTURE WORK 112
REFERENCES 114